Opportunity Information: Apply for RFI 663 16 05
Apply for RFI 663 16 05
- The USAID-ETH in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Industry Input Sought for Improving Learning for Ethiopia’s Primary Grade Students (ILEPGS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2016 and posted on May 25, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $140,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The opportunity titled "Industry Input Sought for Improving Learning for Ethiopia's Primary Grade Students (ILEPGS)" is a USAID/Ethiopia Request for Information (RFI), not a solicitation for proposals or bids. USAID is using this RFI to gather practical input from organizations with relevant experience on how to design and implement a large-scale education activity aimed at improving early-grade learning outcomes in Ethiopia, especially reading. The notice emphasizes that USAID has been running reading-focused interventions in partnership with Ethiopia's Ministry of Education since 2010, building on earlier efforts such as IQPEP and READ TA, but that significant additional work is still needed across curriculum development, teacher and administrator training, community engagement, outreach, and school-level implementation (details referenced in an attached draft project description, "Attachment A").
The proposed ILEPGS activity is framed as a major, five-year initiative planned to start on or before May 2017, with an estimated budget range of $79 million to $140 million. The headline goal is ambitious: improving reading proficiency for 15 million children by 2021. While the RFI does not request a full technical or cost proposal, it signals the scale and strategic importance of the future program and invites the market to help USAID pressure-test the project design and increase the likelihood that implementation approaches will work in the Ethiopian context at national or near-national scale.
USAID is specifically asking respondents to review the draft project description and provide 5 to 10 pages of feedback focused on best practices, methodologies, and innovative approaches that could strengthen implementation. The feedback areas are clearly spelled out: an assessment of the overall feasibility of the proposed interventions and how industry experience could translate to Ethiopia; likely challenges tied to the proposed activities and outcomes; whether the illustrative activities and outcomes are flexible enough to achieve the intended results and what might be missing; practical considerations around using Grants Under Cooperative Agreements (GUCAs) or direct government grants to support trainings; and potential bottlenecks that could slow or derail results across the five-year timeframe. In other words, USAID is looking for grounded, experience-based advice about what tends to work, what fails in practice, and where implementation risk typically shows up in large education reform programs.
In addition to the narrative input, organizations are asked to submit a capabilities statement that makes it easy for USAID to understand who is responding and what they have done recently. The capabilities statement must identify the organization type (such as US small business, NGO, US for-profit, or international organization), business location, organizational structure, and up to three comparable projects performed within the last three years as a prime or sub-awardee. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), consistent with the purpose of an RFI, which is to gather information broadly rather than to make an award.
Administrative instructions are straightforward and strict. Responses had to be submitted electronically by Monday, June 20, 2016 at 1700 Addis Ababa time, to caddis@usaid.gov with a copy to mgirma@usaid.gov. The response should include the reference number RFI-663-16-05 along with basic contact details (name, email, organization address, date), and respondents may attach supporting documents. USAID notes that it will only provide an electronic confirmation of receipt and will not provide individualized feedback, will not respond to phone inquiries, and that responding does not create any claim against the US Government. The notice also makes the standard RFI disclaimer explicit: USAID is not requesting applications, technical proposals, or cost proposals at this stage, and the RFI does not represent a commitment to fund an award or reimburse any costs incurred in preparing a response.
In practical terms, this announcement is best understood as early market research for a large upcoming education activity. USAID is signaling its intent to invest heavily in early-grade reading improvement in Ethiopia and is trying to refine the program design by soliciting real-world implementation lessons, risk warnings, and structuring options from organizations that have delivered similar interventions at scale.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the "Industry Input Sought for Improving Learning for Ethiopia's Primary Grade Students (ILEPGS)" opportunity?
It is a USAID/Ethiopia Request for Information (RFI) seeking practical, experience-based input to help design and implement a large-scale education activity intended to improve early-grade learning outcomes in Ethiopia, with a strong emphasis on reading.
2) Is this a grant or contract solicitation where I can submit a proposal for funding?
No. This notice is an RFI, not a solicitation for proposals or bids. USAID is not requesting applications, technical proposals, or cost proposals at this stage.
3) What is USAID trying to learn from this RFI?
USAID is gathering grounded feedback from organizations with relevant experience to "pressure-test" the draft activity design and increase the likelihood that implementation approaches will work in Ethiopia at national or near-national scale over five years.
4) What is the planned scope and timeframe of the proposed ILEPGS activity?
The activity is described as a major, five-year initiative planned to start on or before May 2017.
5) What budget range is mentioned for the proposed activity?
The RFI references an estimated budget range of USD $79 million to $140 million for the proposed five-year activity.
6) What is the main goal mentioned in the notice?
The headline goal is to improve reading proficiency for 15 million children by 2021.
7) What background does USAID provide about prior work in Ethiopia on reading and education?
USAID notes it has partnered with Ethiopia's Ministry of Education on reading-focused interventions since 2010, building on earlier efforts such as IQPEP and READ TA, and states that significant additional work is still needed across multiple areas of the education system.
8) What types of program components does the notice highlight as still needing significant work?
The notice points to continued needs in curriculum development, teacher and administrator training, community engagement, outreach, and school-level implementation (with additional details referenced in an attached draft project description labeled "Attachment A").
9) What exactly is USAID asking organizations to submit in response to this RFI?
USAID requests (1) 5 to 10 pages of feedback on the draft project description and (2) a capabilities statement that clearly summarizes the responding organization and relevant recent experience.
10) What should the 5 to 10 pages of feedback focus on?
The RFI asks for input on best practices, methodologies, and innovative approaches that could strengthen implementation, specifically including feasibility, likely challenges, flexibility and completeness of the illustrative activities and outcomes, practical considerations for using Grants Under Cooperative Agreements (GUCAs) or direct government grants for trainings, and potential bottlenecks across the five-year timeframe.
11) Does USAID want respondents to critique whether the proposed interventions are feasible in Ethiopia?
Yes. One of the requested feedback areas is an assessment of the overall feasibility of the proposed interventions and how industry experience could translate to the Ethiopian context.
12) Is USAID asking respondents to identify risks and challenges?
Yes. The RFI explicitly asks for likely challenges tied to the proposed activities and outcomes, as well as potential bottlenecks that could slow or derail results over five years.
13) Is USAID open to suggestions that certain activities or outcomes are missing or need adjustment?
Yes. USAID asks whether the illustrative activities and outcomes are flexible enough to achieve the intended results and what might be missing.
14) What is a capabilities statement, and what must it include for this RFI?
The capabilities statement is a short document intended to help USAID quickly understand who is responding and what they have done recently. It must identify the organization type (examples given include U.S. small business, NGO, U.S. for-profit, or international organization), business location, organizational structure, and up to three comparable projects performed within the last three years as a prime or sub-awardee.
15) Do the comparable projects need to be recent?
Yes. The RFI specifies up to three comparable projects performed within the last three years (as a prime or sub-awardee).
16) Who is eligible to respond to this RFI?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), which aligns with the purpose of an RFI to gather information broadly rather than to make an award.
17) Does responding to this RFI guarantee a future award?
No. The RFI states it does not represent a commitment to fund an award.
18) Will USAID reimburse organizations for the costs of preparing an RFI response?
No. The notice states USAID will not reimburse any costs incurred in preparing a response.
19) Will USAID provide feedback on submitted responses?
No. USAID indicates it will only provide an electronic confirmation of receipt and will not provide individualized feedback.
20) Can organizations call USAID to ask questions about the RFI?
No. The notice states USAID will not respond to phone inquiries.
21) How and where were RFI responses required to be submitted?
Responses had to be submitted electronically via email to caddis@usaid.gov with a copy to mgirma@usaid.gov.
22) What was the deadline for submission?
The deadline stated in the notice was Monday, June 20, 2016 at 1700 Addis Ababa time.
23) What reference number should be included in the response?
The response should include the reference number RFI-663-16-05.
24) What basic administrative details did USAID ask responders to include?
The notice asks respondents to include basic contact details such as name, email, organization address, and date, along with the reference number.
25) Are supporting documents allowed as attachments?
Yes. The notice indicates respondents may attach supporting documents.
26) What is "Attachment A" referenced in the notice?
"Attachment A" is described as an attached draft project description that provides further details on the proposed ILEPGS activity and is the document USAID wants respondents to review when preparing their feedback.
27) Is this RFI mainly about early-grade reading?
Yes. The RFI describes the activity as aimed at improving early-grade learning outcomes, especially reading, and frames the initiative around improving reading proficiency at very large scale.
28) What does USAID say about the purpose of the RFI in practical terms?
It is positioned as early market research for a large upcoming education activity, intended to refine program design through real-world lessons, implementation risk warnings, and structuring options.
29) Does submitting a response create any legal claim against the U.S. Government?
No. The notice states that responding does not create any claim against the U.S. Government.
30) What does the RFI say about whether it is requesting pricing or budgets from respondents?
The notice explicitly states USAID is not requesting cost proposals at this stage.
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